Solar Ash

Faster than the speed of light

- By Oscar Taylor-Kent

What would happen if Jet Set Radio and Super Mario Galaxy had a baby, and that baby was somehow also Sonic? You’d either end up with a spiky, radical Italian plumber or Solar Ash. We’d prefer the latter, as this cosmic, fast-paced platformer feels fantastic in the hands in a way we’ve not experienced in quite some time, moments of flow giving you a thrill like no other.

You’re Rei, a Voidrunner who’s journeyed into a strange black hole called the Ultravoid along with her crew. The void has claimed many planets in the past, and her home is next on the list. By activating their Starseed device, they hope to spare their world the same fate. But things go wonky and Rei ends up alone, having to journey across the splintered fragments of worlds to restore power to the Starseed in order to activate it.

That means zipping through different biomes, clearing away strange black sludge, then defeating each colossal anomaly that stands in the way. You spend much of the time holding p to propel Rei forwards on her hoverskates, occasionally stopping to clamber up the inky stuff that hangs on walls. But for the most part, what’s important is keeping the momentum going, and every inch of the world feels designed to allow you to stay on the move.

GO WITH THE FLOW